Hiros53 - (Black Pegasus Knight Frieren) Akeela’s Questionable Mission

When there is an issue for Nagisa, you can always count on Akeela to save the day! Board games? Missing pieces? Sounds like a job for Akeela!

—

“I cannot let this stand!” Akeela roared, slamming open the doors of the Grand Library of Unending Chaos, which was still not technically her property, but everyone had stopped attempting to explain that distinction.

Books concerning forbidden rituals, ancient competitions, and suspiciously complicated game rules rattled violently upon their shelves. A familiar owl blinked from its perch, saw who had entered, and immediately returned to pretending that it had never developed consciousness.

Akeela, the half-shark girl and self-proclaimed maid of the dark goddess Nagisa, stormed into the library like someone had personally insulted the concept of proper service. Her shark tail lashed behind her, scattering droplets across the polished marble despite the professional high heels covering her feet.

She carried an enormous wooden box beneath one arm.

The box was almost three times wider than Akeela herself, heavily reinforced with iron bands, and covered in faded carvings depicting kings ordering armies around. Several large pieces of white and black marble rattled somewhere inside with every furious step she took.

“Nagisa-sama enjoys life-sized board games,” Akeela muttered while dropping the enormous box onto the central table. “She mentioned it casually while drinking tea, which obviously means she desperately wants one and has been suffering silently without it.”

The table groaned beneath the weight. A stack of scrolls labeled “DO NOT TOUCH, ESPECIALLY WHEN CARRYING ANTIQUES” slid onto the floor without receiving even the slightest acknowledgment.

Akeela flipped open the heavy lid and began removing the contents. First came a folded board made from enormous squares of white and black stone, followed by marble pawns, bishops, rooks, knights, kings, and several other pieces large enough to reach her waist.

“My grandfather used this set whenever he taught me chess,” Akeela continued while arranging the pieces across the library floor. “We fought countless legendary battles of strategy, patience, and highly advanced psychological warfare.”

Her grandfather had defeated her during nearly every game, but who cares about details like that, right?

Several of those games had ended before Akeela successfully moved anything beyond her queen and two pawns. Akeela remembered this somewhat differently and preferred describing the losses as tactical research conducted under unusually hostile circumstances.

She placed the final white pawn beside its companions and proudly stepped backward.

Then her smile disappeared.

The white queen’s space remained empty. The black queen’s space also remained empty.

One of the black knights was missing as well.

Akeela stared at those three empty positions for several long seconds. Her frilled ears slowly lowered while her shark tail stopped moving behind her.

“No,” Akeela whispered, crouching beside the open container and digging through it again. “No, no, no, no, absolutely not.”

She searched beneath the remaining packing cloth. She checked inside both hollow king pieces and even lifted the enormous box over her head, shaking it hard enough to make the library windows tremble.

Nothing fell out. The three pieces were unquestionably missing.

Akeela slowly lowered the box and looked toward the suspicious owl. The owl stared straight ahead with the disciplined stillness of someone who had recently been accused of several crimes and refused to participate in another investigation.

“You know something,” Akeela warned while pointing one gloved finger at the motionless bird. “I can see the guilt inside those enormous, suspicious eyes.”

The owl remained silent.

Akeela narrowed her own eyes, but the catastrophic chess emergency demanded immediate attention. She rushed toward the floating crystal screen, knocked several forbidden scrolls aside, and began typing with enough force to threaten the individual keys.

“Replacement life-sized chess pieces,” Akeela read aloud while scrolling through the first results. “Carved wooden figures, sculpted marble replicas, enlargement enchantments, painted barrels, decorated rocks—”

Her fingers stopped as Akeela stared at the list with mounting disgust.

“Painted rocks?” Akeela demanded while recoiling from the screen. “Nagisa-sama is a goddess of darkness, not a bored child playing beside a road!”

She dismissed every sensible option.

Carving replacement pieces would take several days anyway. Ordering new pieces could require weeks, and enlargement magic would merely produce ordinary pieces without any personality or dramatic presence.

Nagisa deserved something better.

Nagisa deserved pieces that were regal, impressive, and completely authentic.

Akeela slowly turned toward the three empty spaces upon the board.

Two queens. And one knight.

Her eyes brightened.

“Living pieces,” Akeela whispered as an increasingly dangerous grin spread across her face. “Of course! Why use lifeless statues when Nagisa-sama can play with pieces possessing genuine royal and knightly potential?”

The owl quietly rotated its head away from her.

Akeela began searching through records of warriors, royal families, adventurers, and magically talented people throughout the connected worlds. Hundreds of images passed across the crystal screen, but she dismissed each candidate for being alone, insufficiently dramatic, or inconveniently located nowhere near two additional targets. 

There was also the simple issue that… Akeela didn’t really know what “knights” looked like when they weren’t on a chess board.

That's when an image of Stark appeared.

The red-haired warrior stood with an axe resting against one shoulder, looking slightly uncomfortable while Fern and Frieren waited behind him. Akeela leaned closer, studying the three adventurers with growing interest.

In her head, she went through everything she did know about knights.

Knights wore armor, fought monsters, carried large weapons, and protected important women. Stark was not wearing much armor and carried an axe rather than a sword, but he fought monsters and traveled beside two powerful mages.

That seemed close enough.

More importantly, he belonged to a team containing exactly three people.

“Well, would you look at that,” Akeela murmured while enlarging the image until Stark’s nervous face filled the screen. “He is approximately knight-shaped, he travels with two potential queens, and they have already proven themselves extremely transformable.”

Akeela remembered the group from her previous mission. Frieren had become a four-armed, musclebound cat maid, while Fern and Stark had received similar improvements after Frieren accidentally volunteered them. A perfect team of maidchamps.

They had survived perfectly well, which practically counted as consent for future assignments.

Therefore Akeela did not hesitate.

“FOR NAGISA-SAMAAAA!” she cried while diving headfirst into the shallow water.

SPLOOSH.

The puddle shimmered, rippled, and became still again.

Akeela was gone.

A new mission had begun.

—

Frieren’s treasure hunt had been moderately unsuccessful.

The abandoned shrine had contained no legendary artifacts, no forgotten treasure, and certainly no magical grimoires worth spending several hours searching through dust and collapsed stone.

It had contained one empty chest.

It had also contained another chest which was not technically empty because it possessed several rows of teeth and had attempted to swallow Frieren immediately after she opened it.

Frieren walked along the forest path toward camp, carrying several small flowers between both hands. A thin streak of mimic slime remained tangled through one side of her white hair, although she had removed most of it while crossing a nearby stream.

The flowers were not that valuable. They possessed no magical properties and probably could not be used for anything beyond decorating the campsite. However, their pale blue petals looked pleasant, and returning completely empty-handed would have made Fern’s inevitable lecture considerably worse.

Frieren stepped between the final trees and entered the clearing.

She immediately noticed the overturned cooking pot.

Several blankets had been dragged away from their usual positions, the grass was soaked across half the campsite, and one of Stark’s boots rested beside a tree without any visible connection to Stark himself.

Frieren stopped walking. Something had clearly happened during her absence.

She looked toward the center of the campsite and discovered Fern standing upon a disk of polished black marble. Her apprentice had become considerably taller, and the familiar purple-and-white clothing had been replaced by an ornate gown of black fabric, dark violet silk, and decorative armor.

A black crown rested among Fern’s long purple hair. Her staff had become an elegant royal scepter, although she currently held it horizontally while channeling a thin stream of magical energy toward the platform beneath her feet.

The magic struck the marble and disappeared without leaving any damage. 

Now that Frieren was looking a bit closer, Fern’s transformed body appeared even more unusual than the clothing. She was always taller than Frieren, but now she stood at almost twice her height, possessing a mature and dramatically exaggerated figure beneath the queenly gown. 

Her chest had expanded into an enormous, heavy pair that strained prominently against the dark bodice, while her waist had narrowed and her hips spread outward into broad, regal curves.

Stark sat several meters away upon a matching platform of white marble.

He had also become a woman.

His red hair had grown longer, his face had softened, and an elegant silver crown rested upon his head. An enormous white gown surrounded his body, decorated with silver armor and several layers of expensive-looking fabric.

His new figure was every bit as exaggerated as Fern’s. An immense bust rested heavily across his raised knees, making it difficult for him to wrap both arms around his legs. His waist appeared narrow beneath the royal bodice, while broad hips, thick thighs, and a heavily rounded rear filled the gown beneath him.

Stark looked as though he had been transformed into the idealized statue of a legendary queen.

He was also quietly crying.

Frieren looked between both of her companions.

Neither appeared injured, but that did not make the situation less concerning.

“I see that something happened while I was gone,” Frieren observed while placing the flowers carefully beside her pack. “Was this caused by a demon or something?”

Fern stopped channeling magic and looked toward her. Her expression remained serious, although the ornate crown and enormous chest gave her usual disapproval an unexpectedly royal quality.

“The strange shark girl returned,” Fern explained while lowering her scepter. “She came out of the cooking water and transformed both of us before we understood what she wanted.”

“Huh. Did she now.” Frieren responded, becoming still as she thought for a bit. Memories of excessive muscles, four arms, cat ears, and an extremely enthusiastic shark maid returned immediately.

She glanced toward every puddle surrounding the campsite, then sighed.

“Where did she go?” Frieren asked while approaching Fern’s platform with greater caution.

“She went searching for you,” Stark answered from his seated position, wiping one eye with the back of his white glove. “Apparently, turning us into queens only solved two-thirds of her problem.”

Frieren crouched beside Fern’s black platform and examined the polished surface. The enchantment running through it was strong, unusually stable, and divided into several complicated magical layers.

“I don’t think you are attached to this platform,” Frieren noted while tracing one violet design around its edge. “Why have you remained standing upon it?”

Fern stepped calmly from the black marble. Nothing seemed to prevented her from leaving.

She walked several meters across the campsite before stopping beside Frieren. Her heavy gown moved normally, and neither the platform nor her transformed body resisted the separation.

“At first, leaving feels completely ordinary,” Fern explained while looking back toward the disk. “Yet after several seconds, remaining away becomes increasingly uncomfortable.”

She continued standing beside Frieren, her eyes gradually shifted toward the empty platform.

A few moments later, Fern began walking toward it without announcing her decision. She stepped onto the black marble, returned to the center, and released a quiet breath as the discomfort immediately faded.

“I did not consciously decide to return just now,” Fern admitted while examining her own feet. “Whenever I stop concentrating upon resisting, I eventually wander back to the place where I apparently belong.”

Stark tightened his arms around his knees.

“I tried sitting near the fire instead,” Stark muttered while his enormous chest pressed farther across his thighs. “I looked away for a moment, and somehow I was sitting on this stupid platform again.”

Frieren returned her attention to the spell.

Then a loud voice rang out from behind her.

“Man, this elvish mistress of yours sure gets lost quite—” Akeela began while walking into the clearing with her nose buried in a badly folded map.

She stopped.

Frieren looked over her shoulder.

Akeela looked upward from the map.

They stared at one another.

Frieren’s expression remained flat.

Akeela’s eyes gradually widened, her frilled ears rose, and her tail began wagging hard enough to strike a nearby tree.

Frieren lifted one hand and started forming a defensive barrier.

“THERE YOU ARE!” Akeela screamed while hurling the map aside and grabbing her waterskin. “FOR NAGISA-SAMA!”

The barrier appeared one moment too late.

SPLASH.

Enchanted water struck Frieren across her face and chest. The liquid soaked through her robes, glowed with pale blue light, and sank directly into her skin before she could remove it.

Warmth spread through her body.

Frieren’s legs stretched beneath her first, lengthening steadily as her perspective began rising. Her calves extended, her thighs grew longer, and her boots reshaped themselves around her expanding feet.

Her torso followed soon afterward, with her waist lifting, her stomach lengthening, and her arms stretched farther from her widening shoulders. Even her neck lengthened slightly, bringing a more mature balance to her rapidly growing proportions.

Frieren rose past Fern’s original height.

She continued growing until she stood level with Fern’s transformed shoulders, and then gained several additional centimeters before the magic finally slowed.

Her familiar robes stretched without tearing. Their sleeves lengthened, the hem lowered, and every section adjusted itself around her dramatically taller frame.

Her posture changed as well, as Frieren’s spine straightened until her back became almost unnaturally perfect. Her shoulders pulled backward, her chin rose, and her feet positioned themselves with the stiff formality of a ceremonial statue.

She looked down at Akeela, who looked absolutely delighted.

“You have transformed us before,” Frieren remarked while examining one newly lengthened arm. “Surely one transformation should have been sufficient.”

“That was for maid-ly reasons!” Akeela answered while pouring more water into both cupped hands. “This is advanced chess reasons, which is magic that follows completely different rules!”

“I don’t think… that type of magic exists…?,” Fern observed from her black platform.

SPLASH.

The second wave struck Frieren across her upper body.

Pressure gathered immediately behind the front of her robes. Her modest chest pushed outward, filling the fabric before continuing into a heavy, visible swell.

Frieren placed both hands beneath the expanding weight. Despite that, her bust continued to fill her palms and quickly grew beyond them. Both breasts became tremendously round and full, pressing farther from her chest with every warm pulse of transformation magic.

The front of her robes stretched until the white fabric appeared molded around the enormous curves. The magical clothing reinforced itself wherever the seams should have failed, refusing to provide even the temporary dignity of tearing.

Frieren adjusted her arms beneath the increasing weight. Thankfully, her back strengthened automatically, keeping her posture upright despite the massive chest now dominating her upper figure.

That’s when her waist started to tighten, narrowing beneath her swelling bust, while her stomach flattened and became subtly firmer. Her hips widened in response, spreading outward until her robes formed a dramatic hourglass silhouette around her.

Her thighs thickened beneath the fabric. Soft weight gathered along her sides and lower body, reshaping the formerly petite elf into a tall, outrageously mature woman whose proportions were more in line with the two transformed queens.

Frieren looked down at herself, her expression resembling the one she usually wore when opening a treasure chest and discovering nothing except dust.

“Why does a knight require proportions like ours?” Stark asked while gesturing toward Frieren’s enormous chest. “I don’t think that a chest like that will help anyone fight?”

“Every important chess piece requires an impressive silhouette!” Akeela replied while refilling her hands from the waterskin. “Appearances are much more important than unimportant things like… physics!”

“That explanation contained no useful information,” Frieren answered while carefully repositioning her heavy bust.

SPLASH.

Akeela threw the third wave around Frieren’s waist and lower back, making a dense pressure gathered behind her hips.

Frieren’s rear began swelling beneath her robes, first becoming rounder and heavier before pushing steadily backward. The fabric stretched around the expanding curves, following them farther from her waist with every passing second.

Frieren twisted and looked behind herself, only to see that the growth refused to stop at anything resembling human proportions.

And thus, her lower spine lengthened and her hips pushed farther backward as her expanding rear extended into a long, broad mass behind her. The back of her robes darkened from white into gray before dissolving into streams of shadowy magical light.

Muscle formed beneath the expanding shape, making her body look fuller and bigger by the second. Her lower body kept lengthening several feet behind her, becoming broader and more structured as her anatomy lost the last resemblance to an enlarged human rear.

Powerful equine flanks developed beneath a continuously spreading coat of sleek dark brown fur.

Her extended spine continued through a long horse torso, and the growing hindquarters broadened into the heavy, rounded rear of an enormous mare.

Frieren’s human upper body remained upright where the horse’s neck would normally begin. Her original legs still hung awkwardly beneath the front portion of the newly formed equine body, leaving the transformation visibly unfinished.

She reached behind herself and pressed one palm against the dark fur, making the muscles beneath it shift in response.

“Are you turning me into a horse because the piece is called a knight?” Frieren observed while her equine body finished lengthening.

“Exactly!” Akeela declared while walking around the new black lower body. “The knight is one of the most important pieces on the chess board. So obviously I can’t be missing one.”

“You do know that Knights normally ride horses and are not horses themselves, right?” Frieren corrected while her growing flanks widened behind her. 

“Nonesense! I have seen the Knight figure before and it's clearly one piece!” Akeela replied while dismissing the notion with one hand.

Fern stepped from her black platform and studied Frieren’s changing body.

“Why are you turning Frieren into the black knight?” Fern asked while folding her arms beneath her immense chest. “Stark is the actual warrior among us, and he already carries a large weapon.”

“I wasn’t sure I would find Frieren in time,” Akeela explained while gathering another large handful of water. “The queens were more important, so I filled those positions first.”

Stark’s miserable expression disappeared beneath complete disbelief.

“You turned me into a voluptuous woman because Frieren went looking for flowers?” Stark demanded while pointing toward the small bundle beside her pack.

Akeela blinked, shrugged, then she splashed Frieren again.

SPLASH.

The fourth wave washed across Frieren’s original legs and the underside of her black equine body, causing her thighs to immediately thicken.

The joints within her legs shifted as her knees drew backward and her calves lengthened. Her boots strained around her expanding feet before dissolving into threads of dark magic.

Frieren’s toes pressed tightly together. Then slowly started to merge, hardened, and pushed forward into solid black hooves. Sleek fur spread upward from them, covering her reshaped legs as they became the powerful front pair supporting her horse body.

Her human hips slowly sank into the front of the equine torso. For several uncomfortable moments, the long body behind her remained unsupported. Frieren lowered both hands toward the ground and struggled to balance upon the two newly formed horse legs.

Then pressure gathered beneath her equine rear as two rounded bulges appeared under the dark fur, gradually pushing downward into unfinished limbs. They stretched longer, thickened with muscle, and developed bending joints as they reached toward the grass.

Frieren even felt them before they were complete, her mind registered each new muscle and tendon as though they had always belonged to her. She focused upon one growing leg, causing it to twitch before its hoof had fully hardened.

The second leg kicked backward unexpectedly.

Akeela narrowly ducked beneath it.

Both hind legs continued lengthening until their black hooves pressed firmly against the ground. The new limbs absorbed Frieren’s weight, raising her horse body into a stable position.

Frieren now stood on four legs, which sure was a very strange feeling for her. 

She attempted one cautious step.

Her front right hoof moved forward, but the corresponding rear leg remained planted. The opposite hind leg shifted instead, twisting her long lower body sideways and nearly sending her into Fern.

Fern caught Frieren’s arm to steadied her.

“Move the opposite rear leg after the front one,” Fern instructed while returning to her platform. “Your weight will remain more evenly distributed that way.”

“You have never had four legs,” Stark protested while watching from his white disk. “How could you possibly know that?”

“It is obvious when observing her balance,” Fern answered while adjusting her crown. “Though I am unsure on how much it actually helped.”

Frieren tried again.

This time her movements became smoother compared to the first attempt. The spell seemed to supply a faint layer of instinct, guiding her muscles until each hoof landed in a natural sequence.

Soon she could walk around the campsite without stumbling. Her dark horse half moved with controlled strength beneath her, although the sensation of four legs responding to her thoughts remained deeply unfamiliar.

“Well, I am glad that worked out,” Frieren sighed while placing all four hooves carefully. “I guess you have achieved what you came here for. I am now a Black Knight, right? I see no reason to continue.”

“Just being a horse does not automatically make someone a legendary knight!” Akeela protested while raising another handful of enchanted water.

“That was your entire argument several moments ago,” Fern reminded her while watching from the black marble.

Akeela splashed Frieren before anyone could continue questioning her.

SPLASH.

The fifth wave covered Frieren from her white hair to her four black hooves, causing pressure to immediately form along both sides of her horse torso.

Two large shapes pushed outward beneath the dark fur, stretching the skin before unfolding into the beginnings of enormous wings. Jointed limbs extended first, followed by layers of black feathers spreading rapidly across their surfaces.

The wings grew wider, with more feathers emerging, overlapping in sleek rows while faint violet light shimmered along their outer edges. Frieren extended them carefully, but their immense span quickly covered most of the campsite.

One wing brushed through a nearby tree and scattered leaves across the clearing. The other struck the abandoned cooking pot and sent it rolling between Stark’s platform and the remains of the fire.

Frieren flexed the unfamiliar muscles connecting the wings to her equine body, making both wings beat once.

A violent gust tore across the clearing, flinging blankets, loose flowers, and several cooking utensils through the air. Fern and Stark took several steps backwards, while Akeela tumbled across the grass with delighted laughter.

“interesting. Not what I was expecting.” Frieren declared, her ears twitching.

The long elven points shifted upward ever so slightly slightly as dark fur spread along their outer edges. They broadened near the base and became more expressive, blending her familiar elven features with the shape of alert horse ears.

That’s when a new pressure developed behind her equine hindquarters, although this time, Frieren could easily guess what it was.

A thick black tail pushed outward, lengthening into a heavy sweep of dark hair. It unfurled behind her and flicked experimentally before swishing across Akeela’s shoulder.

That’s when what was left of the new centaur’s robe began changing.

The familiar white fabric darkened through several shades of gray before dissolving into black magical ribbons. Those ribbons wrapped tightly around her upper body and hardened into polished knightly armor.

A sculpted black breastplate formed around her enormous bust. It covered only the most necessary portions while framing and emphasizing the massive curves rather than concealing them. Additional plates protected her shoulders and sides, leaving most of her firm stomach completely exposed.

This was also when she felt a significant firmness strengthening the muscle beneath her pale skin. Her abdomen tightened until six clearly defined sections formed across her exposed stomach, creating a toned and athletic center beneath the exaggerated weight of her chest.

Black gauntlets appeared over her hands, as armored plates settled along her equine flanks without restricting the movement of her legs or wings. 

Yet her white hair remained completely unchanged. The pale strands fell across the black armor, making her familiar head look strangely misplaced upon the body of an intimidating dark champion.

Finally, a sword materialized inside her right hand. The weapon possessed a black handle, black edges, and several glowing violet lines running along its center that appeared and disappeared depending if she swung the sword. Frieren had never carried it before, but her fingers closed naturally around the grip.

She tested its balance with one slow swing. Sure enough, the sword moved smoothly through the air.

“It is well constructed,” Frieren admitted while inspecting the unfamiliar weapon.

“Thank you!” Akeela replied while climbing back onto her feet. “I personally knew almost nothing about swords when I made it!”

Frieren lowered the blade. That information did not improve her opinion of Akeela even in the slightest.

“She has wings, armor, a weapon, and four legs,” Fern observed while watching Frieren fold her enormous black wings, then took a step back in shock. “Wait, wings? Why does she have wings? What horse has wings?”

“Everyone knows that Knights are the only pieces in chess that can fly over other pieces,” Akeela answered while gathering the final water from her nearly empty skin. “Now for the finishing touch…”

“I have a concerning idea what that means,” Frieren muttered while attempting to step backward.

SPLASH.

The sixth and final wave struck all four of her hooves, causing dark light to spread beneath them.

A circle of polished black marble formed across the grass, expanding outward until it supported Frieren’s entire equine body. The stone grew thicker beneath her, rising into a round, disk-like platform matching the one beneath Fern.

Frieren lifted one hoof.

Nothing was holding it against the surface.

Therefore she just stepped off the platform and walked several meters away without encountering any resistance. The black disk remained behind her, perfectly motionless and apparently harmless.

Then a strange tension formed inside her chest.

Frieren became intensely aware that her platform remained several steps behind her. The knowledge occupied more of her thoughts with every moment, producing an uncomfortable certainty that she had left something important unattended.

As she continued walking, the feeling only became stronger.

Her furry ears turned backward toward the platform, while her horse tail flicked with growing agitation. Every part of her insisted that the black marble was where she belonged and that remaining elsewhere was somehow incorrect.

She resisted for several seconds before releasing a quiet sigh and turning around. She crossed the campsite, stepped onto the black marble with all four hooves, and felt the tension vanish immediately.

Her shoulders relaxed, her wings folded neatly along her sides. For one disturbing moment, standing at the center of the platform felt completely natural.

“I understand the spell now,” Frieren remarked while looking down at the knight symbol beneath her. “We can leave, but the platform gradually convinces us that we must return.”

“That is approximately what I discovered,” Fern confirmed while standing upon her own disk. “Understanding it has not helped me remove it.”

Akeela stepped backward and admired her completed collection. Then raised both arms triumphantly.

“Finally!” Akeela declared while her tail swished with uncontrollable pride. “The black queen, the white queen, and the black knight! Nagisa-sama’s life-sized chessboard is complete again!”

“Will you reverse these transformations after the game?” Frieren asked while resting the black sword against one armored shoulder.

“Now we only need to transport everyone into Nagisa-sama’s office!” Akeela announced while deliberately answering a different question.

Frieren looked toward Fern. Fern looked toward Stark. Stark buried his face against his knees.

Akeela pointed dramatically toward the forest. “Forward, my glorious chess pieces!” she commanded while marching ahead of them.

The three marble platforms began moving.

Fern’s black disk glided silently across the grass while carrying her upright queenly figure. Stark’s white platform followed with him still seated upon it, his enormous gown spreading around his body.

Frieren’s larger platform moved beneath her four hooves. It passed over stones, roots, and uneven ground without tilting, carrying her long equine body as smoothly as though the forest floor were completely flat.

The forest path eventually ended at a broad pool of shimmering water that had definitely not existed there earlier. Akeela marched directly into it, disappearing beneath the surface without slowing down.

The three platforms followed.

And after just a few moments, the forest became quiet again. Only several scattered flowers remained behind.

—

Nagisa returned to her office considerably later that evening.

She opened the enormous doors, stepped inside, and stopped before taking a second step.

A life-sized chessboard occupied most of the chamber.

The black-and-white squares stretched from the central desk toward the distant windows, while enormous marble pieces stood across them in two complete armies.

Three of those pieces were alive.

Akeela stood on the white side with both hands planted against the edge of the board. Her hair was disheveled, her shark tail lashed furiously behind her, and several captured black pieces were scattered across the floor near her feet.

Fern stood among the black army in her dark queenly attire. Her platform rested deep inside Akeela’s territory, surrounded by several destroyed white pawns and one fallen bishop.

Frieren occupied another black square nearby.

Her enormous horse body towered over the surrounding pieces, black wings folded against her sides while the dark sword rested calmly across one shoulder. Her white hair remained spectacularly out of place against the black armor and sleek dark fur.

Stark was no longer on the board.

The captured white queen sat upon his platform near the office wall. His knees were drawn upward, his arms wrapped around them, and his massive breasts rested heavily across his thighs while he watched the game with exhausted disappointment.

“You should have moved the rook six turns ago,” Stark complained while glaring toward Akeela. “I told you that before Fern trapped it.”

“The rook was guarding my highly advanced central pawn formation!” Akeela protested while frantically examining the remaining pieces. “Removing it would have destroyed the entire strategy!”

“You no longer possess a central pawn formation,” Frieren observed while one black ear flicked toward the scattered pieces. “Fern destroyed it several turns ago.”

Akeela gripped both sides of her head.

Nagisa remained beside the doorway, unnoticed.

Fern studied the board with calm concentration. She had apparently learned chess just recently, but her position suggested that she understood the game far better than Akeela ever had.

Akeela’s king had been driven toward one corner. Most of her minor pieces were gone too.

Her queen had been captured early enough that Stark had apparently spent the majority of the match criticizing her from the sideline.

Fern moved from her black platform.

She stepped onto the board and walked several squares forward. Her platform glided after her, stopping beneath her feet whenever she paused.

A white pawn stood directly in her path.

Fern raised her royal scepter.

A compact blast of magic struck the marble pawn and launched it harmlessly from the board. The piece landed among Akeela’s other captured forces with a heavy clatter.

Fern’s black platform settled onto the newly cleared square.

Her position now placed Akeela’s king under direct attack.

Akeela immediately reached toward her own king, then stopped.

Frieren’s knight position protected Fern.

Any attempt to capture the black queen would leave the king exposed to the enormous pegasus centaur standing several squares away.

Fern folded both arms beneath her immense chest and looked across the board.

“Checkmate,” Fern declared while adjusting the dark crown upon her head. “Your king possesses no legal moves. It is over… again.”

Akeela stared at the board.

Her mouth opened.

Nothing emerged for several seconds.

“WHAT?” Akeela screeched while grabbing both sides of her head. “That cannot be checkmate! I still had at least three strategies remaining!”

“None of those strategies were legal,” Stark replied while resting his chin against one raised knee. “One of them involved bringing me back after I had already been captured.”

“I was planning a royal comeback!” Akeela protested while pointing toward Stark’s platform. “It would have been extremely dramatic!”

Frieren covered her mouth with one armored hand, but the quiet snicker escaped anyway.

Akeela’s frilled ears flattened, then her eyes narrowed with renewed determination.

“Rematch!” Akeela demanded while sweeping several captured pieces toward their original positions. “That game was merely tactical research, and now I understand every weakness in your strategy!”

“Certainly,” Fern answered while allowing a small, smug smile to appear. “Perhaps you should attempt keeping your queen this time.”

Stark released a long groan from the captured-piece area, as she moved back onto the board where she was sure to not stay long again anyway.

Frieren finally noticed Nagisa standing near the office entrance, making her pale eyes widened slightly.

She looked down at her enormous black pegasus body, then toward Fern’s queenly form, Stark’s miserable white gown, and Akeela angrily resetting the life-sized board.

Frieren raised both hands and offered Nagisa a confused shrug.

Nagisa covered her mouth, a warm giggle escaped between her fingers.

She had intended to ask why an antique chessboard occupied her entire office, why three travelers had become living game pieces, and why several pawn-shaped impact marks decorated the walls.

However, everyone appeared remarkably invested, so Nagisa decided not to interrupt them.

She quietly stepped backward and closed the office doors again, leaving the next match to begin without her.

From behind the doors came Akeela’s confident declaration that her new strategy was completely unbeatable, followed immediately by Fern questioning why she had moved the same vulnerable pawn again.

Nagisa giggled once more and continued down the corridor.

Mission accomplished…

Probably.